Giving students tools for research

To help teachers and students find their way through the Internet maze, teacher librarians create LibGuides and other online tools. LibGuides integrate instruction and resources to support learning outcomes identified in the Common Core curriculum. These tools, such as a LibGuide created by School Library Studies master's student Michelle Kruse to support a fourth grade biography project, direct students to specific online and electronic resources and create a central place for students to access the project assignments and directions.

For Katy Kauffman, a School Library Studies master's student and teacher librarian at Southview Middle School in Ankeny, Iowa, LibGuides have become a critical part of her work. “Each LibGuide serves as a springboard for my direct instruction by housing resources I use and create,” says Kauffman. “In addition, as I collaborate with classroom teachers, we build a platform that combines all our instructional efforts into one multimedia hub for students. LibGuides are intuitive and easy to build, and the ability to tap into the wealth of knowledge shared by teacher librarians across the country make them an invaluable resource."